Full Video: Obama’s Second Inaugural Speech Draws a Line on Climate Change

Across the nation wingnut heads are a-poppin’ as President Obama’s second inauguration parade gets ready to start. The First Lady is rockin’ the bangs today, and the President gave a stirring speech, laying out a very progressive-sounding agenda for his second term: Obama’s Second Inaugural Speech.

Yep, he threw down the gauntlet, all right, but there’s a huge obstacle in the way of climate change action: a Republican Party that is utterly lost in a cloud cuckoo land of anti-science denial.

The Luddites of the right wing have totally convinced themselves that the world’s scientists are pulling an evil hoax on them; this delusion is fed and sustained by many millions of dollars worth of anti-science propaganda from a fossil fuel industry that benefits from the status quo. If President Obama is serious about taking action on this all-important issue, he’ll have to find a way to either reach these appallingly closed minds, or circumvent their efforts to sabotage him.

I’m kind of all over the place on this. I have faith that the free market will eventually make green energy more cost-effective than carbon based energy, as carbon-based energy is a limited resource and solar-based energy (wind is just a derivative of solar energy anyway) is unlimited. Simple supply and demand. I also imagine that the world’s financial empires are going to try to avoid losing zillions of dollars in investments that could be wrecked due to more climate-related disasters.

But is it too late, give how much CO2 we’ve already pumped into the atmosphere, and how much will be pumped there in the foreseeable future while we wait for solar to be more cost-effective than coal? So what then? Geoengineering schemes to cool the planet? Technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere?

I’ll say. Last week, the Cargill corporation announced they will close their meat-packing plant in Plainview, 40 miles north of Lubbock. Two thousand people will be laid off (not a typo, 2000). This is 22% of the workforce in Plainview and almost 2% of the whole area workforce. Since these were relatively good-paying jobs in a cheap labor area, the actual effect will be even worse than the numbers would indicate. The ripple effect is will be pervasive throughout the region.
The cause according to Cargill is a severe shortage of cattle in this region, the direct result of long-term drought.

Cargill Meat Solutions said declining livestock supplies at the plant because of years of drought would force it to shut down operations, putting 2,000 workers out of a job.

Yep, he threw down the gauntlet, all right, but there’s a huge obstacle in the way of climate change action: a Republican Party that is utterly lost in a cloud cuckoo land of anti-science denial.

The Luddites of the right wing have totally convinced themselves that the world’s scientists are pulling an evil hoax on them; this delusion is fed and sustained by many millions of dollars worth of anti-science propaganda from a fossil fuel industry that benefits from the status quo. If President Obama is serious about taking action on this all-important issue, he’ll have to find a way to either reach these appallingly closed minds, or circumvent their efforts to sabotage him.

Yep, he threw down the gauntlet, all right, but there’s a huge obstacle in the way of climate change action: a Republican Party that is utterly lost in a cloud cuckoo land of anti-science denial.

The Luddites of the right wing have totally convinced themselves that the world’s scientists are pulling an evil hoax on them; this delusion is fed and sustained by many millions of dollars worth of anti-science propaganda from a fossil fuel industry that benefits from the status quo. If President Obama is serious about taking action on this all-important issue, he’ll have to find a way to either reach these appallingly closed minds, or circumvent their efforts to sabotage him.

Along with closed minds there is also trillions of corporate dollars against him.

If President Obama is serious about taking action on this all-important issue, he’ll have to find a way to either reach these appallingly closed minds, or circumvent their efforts to sabotage him.

He needs to do the same to keep medicare running, medicaid, ACA, the EPA, the department of education, pay to put up any satilites that monitor weather… ie run the country at all

Todd Akin type ignoramuses have the House and the House controls the country’s purse strings. We’re not just screwed on climate change, we’re screwed on having a modern country at all, and this is for fucking ever since they’ve gerrymandered themselves a permanent House and permanent state control.

Obviously these freaking assholes did not pass the “works and plays well with others” part of kindergarten. Seriously, it’s now bad to love and care for the members of your community. What the hell is wrong with these fucking people?

They’re completely sheltered behind the RWNJ noise machine. They’ve convinced themselves that they are entirely self-made people, and tht helping another human being or any sort of group or community effort automatically equals communism or socialism.

They’re completely sheltered behind the RWNJ noise machine. They’ve convinced themselves that they are entirely self-made people, and tht helping another human being or any sort of group or community effort automatically equals communism or socialism.

I’m constantly reminded of the capitalist essay “I Pencil” when I hear the “self-made” argument. Idiots really don’t understand economics. Sad, when I can see that —me, who can’t do math.

Obviously these freaking assholes did not pass the “works and plays well with others” part of kindergarten. Seriously, it’s now bad to love and care for the members of your community. What the hell is wrong with these fucking people?

Jesus Wept.

Remember the debates? These are the people that clapped & cheered the 200+ executions under Perry and booed him over Texas giving in-state college tuition to children of illegal immigrants. Hell, they even booed the mention of Romney’s dad being born in Mexico.

My neighbors in “The Compound” are like this, and you simply cannot talk to them. If it’s not on FOX or conservative talk radio and internet sites then it’s wrong or biased or lies. Meanwhile, they go to church every Sunday and fervently believe they’re good and everyone else isn’t.

This is the shit I have trouble forgiving the rank and file GOP for. They had more than one chance to put a stop to this shit and they stood by and did nothing. They used it to turn neighbors and families against each other to win elections. They didn’t give a damn who they hurt or how much damage they created. I don’t know how we can clean this shit up if these folks are constantly being fed lies and bullshit on a daily basis.

My neighbors in “The Compound” are like this, and you simply cannot talk to them. If it’s not on FOX or conservative talk radio and internet sites then it’s wrong or biased or lies. Meanwhile, they go to church every Sunday and fervently believe they’re good and everyone else isn’t.

This is the shit I have trouble forgiving the rank and file GOP for. They had more than one chance to put a stop to this shit and they stood by and did nothing. They used it to turn neighbors and families against each other to win elections. They didn’t give a damn who they hurt or how much damage they created. I don’t know how we can clean this shit up if these folks are constantly being fed lies and bullshit on a daily basis.

I know. It just breaks my heart sometimes though. I suppose being here in the South isn’t helpful in my outlook for the future, but since 9/11 I’ve watched reasonable conservative people turn into complete raging tea party assholes and it really pisses me off.

- The President-elect would swear both on a Bible and on a stack of $100 bills
- He would have one hand over his heart and the other on his gun
- The Koch brothers would conduct the ceremony
- The ceremony would take place not in D.C. but the middle of Wall Street
- There would be no latinos anywhere.
- Security would be provided by Joe Arpaio and his posse, along with other volunteer minuteman groups and county sheriffs.

- Security would be provided by Joe Arpaio and his posse, along with other volunteer minuteman groups and county sheriffs.EVERYONE ATTENDING because they would all be carrying their own personal weapons.

A couple thoughts.. Instead of beating our heads against the wall arguing with climate deniers and trying to convince them that climate change is real, why not just point out that if we work together to reduce wasted consumption of fossil fuels, then we can create a glut in the supply and that will bring the prices down, which would help create economic growth as consumers spend less on fuel.

Americans are driving less miles these days and the fleet is getting more fuel efficient every year so we are making headway, but there is a lot more we can do to keep reducing wasted consumption.

I’m not a big fan of simply cranking up fuel taxes to get people to use less because that tends to shrink economic growth and hurt the companies that need to invest in new efficient capital equipment. We need a strong economy to provide the continuing source of funds to build a modern energy efficient infrastructure. This will take decades.

I’m also not a fan of just saying drill baby drill! because you can not base economic growth on increasing the supply of limited resources. It is pure ignorance to think we can forever grow the economy by increasing the supply of fossil fuels. Drill baby drill is like pinata capitalism. Grab it fast!

The most feasible strategy for the short term is to reduce wasted consumption in a million small ways.

I’m kind of all over the place on this. I have faith that the free market will eventually make green energy more cost-effective than carbon based energy, as carbon-based energy is a limited resource and solar-based energy (wind is just a derivative of solar energy anyway) is unlimited. Simple supply and demand. I also imagine that the world’s financial empires are going to try to avoid losing zillions of dollars in investments that could be wrecked due to more climate-related disasters.

But is it too late, give how much CO2 we’ve already pumped into the atmosphere, and how much will be pumped there in the foreseeable future while we wait for solar to be more cost-effective than coal? So what then? Geoengineering schemes to cool the planet? Technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere?

I’d love to hear lizards’ opinions on this.

It’s never too late. If you read the post from Shiplord immediately after yours, you will notice what the greenhouse is doing to us *right now*. Those that say we can “manage the change” are talking out of their collective asses- and are often well paid to do so.

it was in an interview by Terry Gross on Fresh Air with someone who did surveys of religious people

He also said that most American church goers no longer believe the dogma that people from other denomination will go to hell and no longer believe the dogma that gays will go to hell. This includes evangelicals who are about evenly split

He said that a group of Lutheran ministers found that news very depressing

He said that most Americans have a best friend who isn’t from their denomination. And most have a gay or lesbian relative or friend.

Familiarity ends that kind of belief.

Can we conclude that all the obama-hating wingnuts actually don’t have a black best friend? I think we can.

It’s never too late. If you read the post from Shiplord immediately after yours, you will notice what the greenhouse is doing to us *right now*. Those that say we can “manage the change” are talking out of their collective asses- and are often well paid to do so.

But how many people in Lubbock do you think will accept that this is the reality of climate change? Not many, I’d wager.

And obviously we can’t manage the worst effects of climate change and still want to exist in the kind of moderate climate we’ve experienced since the beginning of human civilization. We need to do something about it. I just wonder what will be effective in dealing with it. Even if James Inhofe decided tomorrow to introduce a bill banning any carbon-based forms of energy, we’d still be dealing with the massive increase in carbon use in the developing world.

One of my neighbors just posted a pic of an AK and Rosa Parks on his facebook page. It says:

Ask me why I “need” an AK-47 and I will ask you why Rosa Parks had a “need” to sit at the front of the bus.

Just kill me now. Seriously. And seriously, does this mean this redneck idiot has an AK or 5 in addition to the fucking pistols and hunting rifles they’ve got over there? Shit. I somehow do not feel safe knowing this.

Conclusions
Tax expenditures have composed a significant component of the cost of government for decades. The 1986 Tax Reform Act cut them substantially but they subsequently rebounded, recovering more than half their decline from tax reform, measured as a share of GDP.

The composition of tax expenditures has changed over the years. Individual tax expenditures have increased relative to corporate tax expenditures and personal tax expenditures have grown relative to business tax expenditures. Credits and exclusions have increased relative to deductions and deferrals. Outlays from refundable credits remain a small share of the total cost of tax expenditures, but have experienced a huge growth over the past 25 years.

Good for consumers, bad for producers. And who has the more powerful lobby?

True, but individuals are the consumers. Already there are signs of a glut in North America. They will soon be reversing the direction of a major pipeline between Houston and Cushing Oklahoma in order to get North American oil to the Gulf to export to take advantage of the $15-20 per bbl price tag that Brent Crude fetches over West Texas Intermediate. The tanks in Cushing are near full even with millions of additional bbl capacity added the last couple years.

The housing market crash showed how a glut in supply will not just lower prices but it can make them fall off the table.

De-friend. Seriously. I generally run in more liberal circles, and I don’t like the idea of de-friending people on Facebook for obnoxious political views (and I do get some from a few wingers in my feed), but crossing the line into racism about the civil rights movement would do it for me.

And if the gas pricing pressures ease you’ll see a comeback of the gas guzzling SUV. Unless the path is simply to pass the regulations pressuring less use of gasoline from the pump to the car lot.

And that is also ignoring where the gas taxes are going. Are they simply a revenue stream for the state, or do they actually go towards necessary maintenance and improvement of infrastructure?

I disagree that if gas prices lower than people will just run out and buy Giant SUV’s. One thing is that CAFE standards are getting higher and gas guzzler taxes will soon be causing those vehicles to get a lot more expensive. And the companies have lowered capacity for building those giant SUV’s. Families are getting smaller, people are driving less, and the small cars and SUV’s have become much nicer in recent years.

One of my neighbors just posted a pic of an AK and Rosa Parks on his facebook page. It says:

Ask me why I “need” an AK-47 and I will ask you why Rosa Parks had a “need” to sit at the front of the bus.

Just kill me now. Seriously. And seriously, does this mean this redneck idiot has an AK or 5 in addition to the fucking pistols and hunting rifles they’ve got over there. Shit. I somehow do not feel safe knowing this.

Yeah, he’s gone. I’m still friends with his wife though, she’s at least partly reasonable. I think his problem is that he’s a dry drunk and a born again Catholic who feels so much guilt about being a punk when his kids were little that he’s gone to the other extreme. They have two of the sweetest daughters, and honestly are not awful people but this political slide of his has been really sad to watch.

Yeah, he’s gone. I’m still friends with his wife though, she’s at least partly reasonable. I think his problem is that he’s a dry drunk and a born again Catholic who feels so much guilt about being a punk when his kids were little that he’s gone to the other extreme. They have two of the sweetest daughters, and honestly are not awful people but this political slide of his has been really sad to watch.

If all those people would have had guns there would have been permanent gun banning laws passed.

And if they’d had guns during the Selma marches, they would’ve all been shot and/or lynched. These nutjobs are delusional if they think the white Jim Crow South would have been understanding if a bunch of armed African-Americans demanded their rights.

If all those people would have had guns there would have been permanent gun banning laws passed.

In both the Raj and the South, the primary myth was of benevolent stewardship of a lesser people, belying a reality of calculatedly disproportionate retaliation for any form of violent resistance…and in the South an ongoing terror campaign that was not part of the state, but served the ends of the state. Passive resistance was a tactical as well as a conscientious choice.

These big talking types fail at both history and strategy. They really seem to be stuck in an action movie mindset.

One of my neighbors just posted a pic of an AK and Rosa Parks on his facebook page. It says:

Ask me why I “need” an AK-47 and I will ask you why Rosa Parks had a “need” to sit at the front of the bus.

Just kill me now. Seriously. And seriously, does this mean this redneck idiot has an AK or 5 in addition to the fucking pistols and hunting rifles they’ve got over there? Shit. I somehow do not feel safe knowing this.

In both the Raj and the South, the primary myth was of benevolent stewardship of a lesser people, belying a reality of calculatedly disproportionate retaliation for any form of violent resistance…and in the South an ongoing terror campaign that was not part of the state, but served the ends of the state. Passive resistance was tactical as well as a conscientious choice.

These big talking types fail at both history and strategy. They really seem to be stuck in an action movie mindset.

In the British Raj, there were some fig leaves to support the fable of benevolent stewardship (e.g., suppressing suttee), but let’s be real here. No colonial power ever got into the game for any reasons other than its own self interest, usually based on serious exploitation of the colonies.

That is why “anti-colonial” as somehow being a bad thing in RW mythology is ludicrous.

Put concisely, my fear is that the Administration’s discussion of climate change has a “shiny bobble” quality to it, and that once the (renewed) novelty wears off the political machinery in DC will just grind on with the usual topics of pork and then more pork, intermingled with gamesmanship on debt ceiling rises.

And, no doubt, the GOP will point out that the “solutions” all cost money and that whatever the President proposes will simply be to funnel money to his key constituencies/donors.

Climate change is an issue around which the progressive caucus in American politics will rally, but it then gets transformed into “social justice” and other more nebulous causes.

The more nebulous the cause the more ethereal the solutions seem to become.

US emissions of greenhouse gases did go down - due to the deep recession. As the US economy grows (even if slowly) emissions will tend upwards, though the improved CAFE standards do help.

The President knows the US power generation is turning from coal to natural gas because the latter is so incredibly cheap these days, thanks in part to fracking. Thus there is an on-paper decrease in emissions do to electricity generation.

What happens when (eventually, even if it takes 10 years) natural gas prices go up? Will coal return?

It may seem strange coming from me, since I’ve been writing about climate change here at LGF for quite some time (and in the beginning took quite a beating for it), but I am still skeptical that all this talk about climate change will actually produce meaningful mitigation measures. It might lead to better adaptation planning.

we don’t need background checks on person to person sales or at gun shows. we don’t need any part of gun ownership regulated or infringed (see the Constitution for that word). it is illegal regardless what any justice has said for government to regulate guns.

I wish I could move. I’ve wanted to for a long time now. Economics won’t allow it though. Our house is over 30 yrs old(fully remodeled by us, but not new)and we’re surrounded by new houses, we’d have to take a substantial loss. I thought about actually approaching this whole extended family to see if they want it for their idiotic Compound. (seriously, who the fuck is proud of that sort of terminology?)

So, on a day when GOPers are saying that no other president had as low a rating as President Obama in his first term (and FWIW, he was reelected by a landslide in the Electoral College and quite comfortably in popular vote against a GOP that simply couldn’t get its act together and engaged in collective wishful thinking that the polls were skewed in favor of the Democrats), here comes Scott Rasmussen to remind us that even now the Democrats would win a generic Congress race compared to the GOP.

I just watched the whole thing. I highly recommend it, even if you saw the original airing in 1965. What a history lesson. (If you stay ‘til the very end, you even see some of the panelists lighting up cigarettes on TV!)

I wish I could move. I’ve wanted to for a long time now. Economics won’t allow it though. My house is over 30 yrs old(fully remodeled by us, but not new)and we’re surrounded by new houses, I’d have to take a substantial loss. I thought about actually approaching this whole extended family to see if they want it for their idiotic Compound. (seriously, who the fuck is proud of that sort of terminology?)

I hope wasn’t coming off as being flippant. I know it’s not a good answer, but from the way you describe these people, there’s nothing more they’d enjoy than murdering a few police officers and government agents.

Just be careful if you decide to approach them. They may decide than can get a lower price by ratcheting up their crazy.

Well, it’s ludicrous but I think it’s ultimately honest. These are people that like the colonial model…the resource stripping and the ideological bludgeon role.

Precisely. In fact, that world view covers much more than just issues relating to colonial models —- it is their model for everything. The aristocracy (which can be defined in various ways) is entitled to exploit the hell out of everyone else.

Took a spin over to Fox Nation. Lead story is from someone named Mark Levin, interviewed by Ben “Women who like sex makes me and Jesus cry” Shapiro.

The comments, as always, are Freeper level foaming at the keyboard. One interesting thing is the amount of “comment has been deleted” notices all over the forum. Looks like their mods are actually doing their job, although their fingers are probably sprained at this point.

“For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”

Equality for women and homosexuals? Well, that’s sure to piss off Conservatives.

Interesting question. My gut reaction is that aristocracy better captures the entitlement that these masters of the universe feel so strongly.

It is not enough that they rule (i.e., oligarchy). Their rule must be blessed as “the ways things ought to be”.

I’ll grant aristocracy given the latter definitions, especially #5:

ar·is·toc·ra·cy/ˌær əˈstɒk rə si/ Show Spelled [ar-uh-stok-ruh-see] Show IPA
noun, plural ar·is·toc·ra·cies.
1. a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility.
2. a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class.
3. government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
4. a governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
5. any class or group considered to be superior, as through education, ability, wealth, or social prestige.

Self-selected group for the most part as well. But not a hereditary nobility.

so, the next time a Whacko™ says that a citizen has the right to be as armed as the government., ask him how many nuclear bombs he think he wants to buy. When he tells you it is obviously a ridiculous thing to ask, tell him “oh, so you DO believe regulation is Constitutional?”

I hope it is an end of Reaganism and the end of hate for the unions come next.

I agree with the first half of a lot of Reaganisms: Government is not the solution, it is a means of helping find and develop solutions to problems that arise. Problems like global warming, dependence on foreign resources and the threat of terrorism.

And I agree that best social program you can offer someone is a job, but not one without benefits at minimum wage that still leaves the person working eligible for food stamps. Modern jobs require training and skills, and those do not come for free.

I hope it is an end of Reaganism and the end of hate for the unions comes next.

I noticed that when a company goes under (or whatever) the Top Management always get their pay and bonuses because they have contracts that have to be honored. The Lowest Level workers get their pay and benefits packages because they belong to Unions and those contracts have to be honored.

It’s the non-union hourly workers and middle management that get screwed.

Society is bifurcating between right wing nuts and the rest of us. The nuts have the House for the forseeable future.

Country is screwed. Things aren’t about to get better. The nuts will get ever more angry because they think they’ve been cheated out of ruling.

I tell all the young people I know that are in school (who aren’t) to learn a second language and be prepared to work anywhere on the planet because they can’t depend on jobs or stability in this country as previous generations have.

I noticed that when a company goes under (or whatever) the Top Management always get their pay and bonuses because they have contracts that have to be honored. The Lowest Level workers get their pay and benefits packages because they belong to Unions and those contracts have to be honored.

It’s the non-union hourly workers and middle management that get screwed.

Get rid of unions and then there will be more for the shareholders.

I hope there is a resurgence of unions the country needs it.
To me one of the worst things that happened to working Americans was the birth of the temporary agencies.

I noticed that when a company goes under (or whatever) the Top Management always get their pay and bonuses because they have contracts that have to be honored. The Lowest Level workers get their pay and benefits packages because they belong to Unions and those contracts have to be honored.

It’s the non-union hourly workers and middle management that get screwed.

Few people are openly for a tyranny, and Reagan was not among them. However, much of what he did tended to go significantly in the direction of more concentrated wealth/power for elites.

I agree, yet I don’t think that was his intention. I have no doubt that there were those in the wings waiting for the opportunity to screw people. Reagan seemed to be naive about human flaws. At least about non-Communist humans.

Agreed. I’d like to see unionization for pretty much everyone who is not a corporate executive or self employed. Addressing the power imbalance between labor and capital is a really basic issue, and the only ways I can think of to deal with it are full unionization, or truly massive (and most likely unworkable) government intervention.

Reagan campaigned heavily on the support of the Christian fundamentalists, but pretty much abandoned them as soon as Nancy’s house astrologer told her the stars were propitious to do so.

They learned their lesson and started insinuating their people into the highest levels of business, government, administration and education. (For some reason they do not do as well at making inroads into science and in the arts… )

The current Conservative movement is very much a product of this approach, we are already into the second generation of such conservatives: they are fully entrenched at state and local levels, but cannot seem to grasp the Ring of national power.

I agree, yet I don’t think that was his intention. I have no doubt that there were those in the wings waiting for the opportunity to screw people. Reagan seemed to be naive about human flaws. At least about non-Communist humans.

Certainly, in the time of Reagan, one could claim that supply side economics was good for all with more credibility than can be done today.

However, his breaking of the air traffic controllers strike showed a hard edge.

I agree, yet I don’t think that was his intention. I have no doubt that there were those in the wings waiting for the opportunity to screw people. Reagan seemed to be naive about human flaws. At least about non-Communist humans.

I suspect that the ideal seems to veer towards a desire for some sort of benevolent dictatorship. The orderliness and clear decision making of the dictator that avoids the ugly give-and-take of the democratic process. Combined with a benevolence that is aimed towards the greater good of the society and nation as a whole - presumably long-term as well.

And since such a set-up with the *right* people in charge would obviously be of the greatest good for all the nay-sayers and detractors have to be hell-bent on the destruction of the country.

I agree, yet I don’t think that was his intention. I have no doubt that there were those in the wings waiting for the opportunity to screw people. Reagan seemed to be naive about human flaws. At least about non-Communist humans.

Thing is, though, if you’re a functioning adult human, you have to be essentially willfully ignorant if you think that right-wing economic and social policies don’t lead to a concentration of wealth and power. I mean the evidence is pretty stark, both across different time periods (observe wealth concentration in Europe between 1900 and 2000, for example) and geographies (US vs. other industrialized nations, etc.).

In other words, right-wing politicians are either very gullible and naive, or calculating pro-oligarchy stooges.

When folks like the National Center for Science Education tell you there’s “no controversy,” “no debate” about Darwinian evolution, that’s true only insofar as the controversy and the debate are deliberately suppressed through intimidation.

It’s a case of derp within derp. First, there is the idiocy of ID as a civil rights issue. Second, there is the idiocy of any internal message control at Americans United (AU) for Separation of Church and State (a private organization) possibly violating anyone’s civil rights.

Apparently these knuckle draggers think they have a civil right to participate in AU and infect it with their stupidity.

OK, then can I find a particularly strident atheist, and insist that he has a civil right to preach the Flying Spaghetti Monster at your fundie Sunday schools?

But is it too late, give how much CO2 we’ve already pumped into the atmosphere, and how much will be pumped there in the foreseeable future while we wait for solar to be more cost-effective than coal? So what then? Geoengineering schemes to cool the planet? Technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere?

A goal of the “alternative” energy push, a la inaugural speech, is in part to stimulate long term investment in in-nation construction. The administration knows not to call it a “stimulus”, but in practice that is what such investment would be.

Obviously these freaking assholes did not pass the “works and plays well with others” part of kindergarten. Seriously, it’s now bad to love and care for the members of your community. What the hell is wrong with these fucking people?

Jesus Wept.

you can’t say ‘community’ without ‘communist’

seriously, they think of society as the struggle of all against all, and that this requires winners and losers

democrats, you see, are maliciously trying to help the losers, when every good american knows that losers deserve to lose

Twitter has been busy allocating more resources to add more space and upgrade the security systems to the gulag compounds throughout the world.
There had been reports about the gulag and some sited by the UN.

In what passes for the minds of the right, the quite beautiful folk tune Kumbaya has somehow become the very symbol of the godless, America-hating heathen left. In recent references we have heard it most often “cited or alluded to in satirical or cynical ways which suggest false moralizing, hypocrisy, or naively optimistic views of the world and human nature,” as wikipedia puts it. I thought I would post the famous Sandpipers rendition to remind everyone of the kind of thought and sentiment the present-day right finds so ridiculous:

I think it is possible that the GOP in the course of being so ridiculously intransigent on every matter, large and small, has finally convinced the President that negotiations with thugs who refuse to negotiate are futile. I think it is possible that he is going to throw political caution to the wind, because there is absolutely nothing he can do that will be given a fair hearing by the right.

So here is praying he finds every way in the book to circumvent and render meaningless the GOP when they try to deny science and condemn all of us to a climate collapse. All future generations are riding on him meaning it and convincing others to mean it.

In regards to the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi opposing Mali’s action:

There have been allegations for the past year that the Algerian Secret Service has been supporting Iyad Ag Ghaly and Ansar Dine.

And remember, the Muslim Brotherhood is part of the coalition in power in Algeria, and the different national branches of the Muslim Brotherhood move in roughly the same direction.

Or, to put it more bluntly, Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood approves of the radicals here. And their destruction of places like Timbuktu. Morsi’s call for a “developmental and peaceful” intervention is bullshit. No such thing is possible without stabilization, which these Taliban-esque nutcases don’t want.

Time to yank Egypt’s aid, and give it to Jordan. Jordan has been a much better Ally anyway.

I think it is possible that the GOP in the course of being so ridiculously intransigent on every matter, large and small, has finally convinced the President that negotiations with thugs who refuse to negotiate are futile.

It was odd listening to talking heads on the news this morning, suggesting that Obama needs to try much harder to negotiate this time around.

But why would the party of assbackward racism, superstitious anti-science, greed and corporate corruption feel left out of the inauguration of a forward thinking, pro-science, help the little guy, black man?

In what passes for the minds of the right, the quite beautiful folk tune Kumbaya has somehow become the very symbol of the godless, America-hating heathen left. In recent references we have heard it most often “cited or alluded to in satirical or cynical ways which suggest false moralizing, hypocrisy, or naively optimistic views of the world and human nature,” as wikipedia puts it. I thought I would post the famous Sandpipers rendition to remind everyone of the kind of thought and sentiment the present-day right finds so ridiculous:

[Embedded content]

It stands for positive aspects of human nature that are utterly rejected by the hard right. Therefore it is anathema. These people really are a cult.

it was in an interview by Terry Gross on Fresh Air with someone who did surveys of religious people

He also said that most American church goers no longer believe the dogma that people from other denomination will go to hell and no longer believe the dogma that gays will go to hell. This includes evangelicals who are about evenly split

He said that a group of Lutheran ministers found that news very depressing

He said that most Americans have a best friend who isn’t from their denomination. And most have a gay or lesbian relative or friend.

Familiarity ends that kind of belief.

Can we conclude that all the obama-hating wingnuts actually don’t have a black best friend? I think we can.

Not to mention that the MB is trying to destabilize that country. All the Foreign Aid that can be spared should be redirected to keeping Jordan afloat. In addition, the Palestinian Conflict must be manipulated to give the Hashemites more weight against both Saudi and the MB.

Nope they won’t, and that is sort of the point. They have crazied themselves into irrelevance. Even middle America is catching on that these are insane and dangerous freaks.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I find that GOP threats to trash the economy are falling on unsympathetic ears. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many are really tired of and disgusted by yet another round of stupid GOP comments about rape. I was pleasantly surprised how many I have spoken to who were agnostic on gun issues until they saw Alex Jones freak out on Piers Morgan.

I truly think that the middle is turning against the GOP in a very strong way.

The bad news in that is that they still have a lot of power and money and that their freakazoid base is going to feel ever more impotent - which inevitably lead to some wingnut violence.

In what passes for the minds of the right, the quite beautiful folk tune Kumbaya has somehow become the very symbol of the godless, America-hating heathen left. In recent references we have heard it most often “cited or alluded to in satirical or cynical ways which suggest false moralizing, hypocrisy, or naively optimistic views of the world and human nature,” as wikipedia puts it. I thought I would post the famous Sandpipers rendition to remind everyone of the kind of thought and sentiment the present-day right finds so ridiculous:

[Embedded content]

That’s a very nice version.

I’m a veteran of the Catholic Church’s old “folk masses”; there might even be a chance (slim, but a chance) I’d still consider myself Catholic had they continued to opt for that more inclusive style of worship than the “dominus vobiscum” nonsense they eventually reverted to.

YES THEY ARE. Is that so hard to understand? You’ve put your finger on the precise mechanism by which religion destroys the human mind’s ability to become sentient. Fear of rationality is what obliterates the potential for rationality.

Yes, I do feel for the Palestinians, and my intensity as such can make me iconoclastic here.

But in the long run, getting rid of the Saudi Government is more important. Even if that means the Palestinians never get their own state, but get subsumed into Jordan.

Aside from that, I would like to see multi-national regional projects like the AMU and the East African Federation become the norm. And Palestine being part of that.

If Britain hadn’t been a bit of an idiot at the beginning of WWI, it may have been possible that the Ottoman Empire would still be around. Probably a Great Power along the lines of the UK, possibly more so. And much of this shit would not have gone down.

YES THEY ARE. Is that so hard to understand? You’ve put your finger on the precise mechanism by which religion destroys the human mind’s ability to become sentient. Fear of rationality is what obliterates the potential for rationality.

The fancy term for this stupid line of reasoning is Pascal’s Wager, which runs something like this:

I can choose to be an atheist or a believer.

1) I can be an atheist. If I’m wrong, it’s eternity spent hip deep in molten lead. If I’m right, I get the benefits of not going to church (e.g., more time on Sundays).

2) I can be a believer (or at least pretend). If I’m wrong, I’m out a few Sundays. If I’m right, heaven (probably) awaits.

Belief then follows as a consequence of risk mitigation.

The essential futility of this line of reasoning is apparent once the question of exactly which beliefs need to be subscribed to in order to get out of hell is raised.

I just wanted to say i was arguing with a wingnut and the new conspiracy theory is:
Obama is running a 3rd world style campaign of enforcers.

As Haitian dictators had their “technicals” and Robert Mubage has his “veterans” and Putin has his Nashi youth or Chavez and his red shirts, Obama launched an activist base

Every time an activist group on facebook boycotts a Rush Limbaugh advertiser - that’s Obama silencing the press
When a newpaper prints a map that uses public records to show what neighborhoods gun owners live in, that’s Obama outing the gun nuts to destroy them
etc etc etc
every single thing that happens in the US is part of a vast conspiracy run by the President.

And of course he darkly threatened that if this tactic works (and he says he prays it doesn’t) then of course the Republicans will have no choice but to adopt these tactics.

Sigh. You can see this coming a mile away. They’ve invented this conspiracy theory in order to excuse the coming Republican enforcers.

It’s like how #TGDN started out hallucinating that liberals are deliberately conspiring to get them banned and now they’re a group that … deliberately conspires to get liberals banned.

But worse. This isn’t necessarily an organic bunch of paranoids with a delusion. It sounds more like an excuse for dirty tricks already being planned.

Thing is, though, if you’re a functioning adult human, you have to be essentially willfully ignorant if you think that right-wing economic and social policies don’t lead to a concentration of wealth and power. I mean the evidence is pretty stark, both across different time periods (observe wealth concentration in Europe between 1900 and 2000, for example) and geographies (US vs. other industrialized nations, etc.).

In other words, right-wing politicians are either very gullible and naive, or calculating pro-oligarchy stooges.

Indeed. It has to be remembered that even if the GOP were to regain its collective sanity, this analysis would apply. There is always going to be a political party that essentially stands for concentration of wealth and power.

It looks like she was reacting to whatever her husband and Boehner were talking about behind her (most likely the latest episode of ‘Downton’). But as usual, this will probably get blown out of proportion.

It seems like a perfectly jolly conversation to me - no indication Boehner was being his usual (un)professional self…

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